The List: 18 Jan 2001 (Issue 405)

Because Gunman Chronicles was built using the Half Life first-person engine, it is very difficult to avoid comparing the two games. Which is a terrible shame for Gunman, a piece of software that would grace the hard drive of any gamer under any other circumstances. Though the differences between the two titles are minor, they add up to no small amount of disappointment. While in Half Life you play a nobody scientist who must learn to fight and survive, going from zero to hero throughout the game, Gunman places you in the role of a Gunman Major, a crack trooper in the finest intergalactic military outfit humanity has ever seen. This makes the story, interesting as it is,

that little bit distant, resulting in less empathy with the protagonist, something that HI. did very well. A shorter game that rarely reaches the involving heights attained in HL, Gunman is much less of a thrill.

Then again, if you forget that Half Life ever existed, Gunman is a decent first-person shooter. It looks great, sports some fantastic sounds and has a wide selection of dastardly enemies, human, alien or mechanical, that take some skill to defeat. Also worth mentioning is the novel arsenal of weapons. Each gun has a variety of firing modes that can be altered with ease, allowing

Forget Half Life existed and Gunman is a decent first-person shooter

every player to find their favourite method of slaughter while making the search for new weapons a real drive to the game. There are also a couple of good scares

spread throughout the experience as well as some

wicked puzzles.

(lain Davidson)

Despite being a little brief, boasting nothing new in the way of multiplayer and suffering terribly in comparison to Half Life, Gunman Chronicles still has a lot to offer. If you're sick of Quake and Unreal deathmatches then this will entertain for a while.

P82 Kessen (Electronic Arts) £44.99 at it at

Steeped in historical accuracy, Kessen brings the honour, politics and war of feudal Japan to your P82. While the Similar Shogun Total War on the PC favoured open-ended simplicity, Kessen has concentrated on a beginning-middle-end approach to the overall game, while making the battles themselves disappointedly complicated. Through mission after misSion, you must command your troops to defend, attack, ambush or capture while the enemy does the same. Because of the limitations of the control pad, giving orders to your armies requires flicking through a variety of options that, though designed to be simple to use, quickly feel very confining. And because the battles are played in real time, this leads to a lot of swearing at the screen. However, the lush visuals, cracking story and interesting historical minutiae keeps you coming back for more. By the final battle you’ll be able to pass your Standard Grade Japanese History.

DREAMCAST 102 Dalmatians (Eidos) £34.99 at t

When it comes to movie tie-ins for kids, developers can’t seem to see past the platform game. In 702 Dalmatians

98 THE llST l8 Jan—l Feb 2001

for example, you must guide the lost puppy Domino through location after location, leaping off ledges, climbing stairs, collecting bones, smashing crates and rescuing his brothers and sisters while the minions of Cruella De Vil do their best to capture you. Sure there is a lot to do, especially for a young pup, but the feeling that this is as basic a game as a developer can get away with never leaves you. The levels are effective but basic, enemies are fun but unvaried and simple things like collision detection are often non- existent. Whether it is hoped that kids won't notice or care about these things, or that the title has been rushed out to capitalise on the movie release, these faults prevent 702 Dalmatians from being a title that adults and children alike could enjoy.

PC

Project l.G.l. (Eidos) £29.99 ht

One of the best things about the likes of Rogue Spear or Hidden And Dangerous was the vicious reality of bullet damage. One hit, two if you were lucky, and it was game over. This changed what could have been a frag- fest into a creeping, hiding game of cat and mouse that frayed the nerves. Project /.G./. has attempted the same as you assume the role of an ex-SAS soldier sent to save the world. However, while the combat is shOrt and deadly, the rest of the game

verges on the dull. Each level is preceeded by a very long briefing that does little but confuse, and ridiculously high specs mean that only those With nitrogen-cooled machines will see the game is it was meant. The realism is impressive but when it is at the expense of involving gameplay, who cares? Hardcore stealth addicts one supposes.

PLAYSTATION

007 Racmg

(Electronic Arts) £29.99 at it

Come on, own up. Who didn’t own one of those toy White Lotuses of

James Bond that went under water and fired red plastic rockets out the

games@list.co.uk

back? As much as the gadgets, Bond's mot0rs have captured the imagination of generations of movie-goers. Well now is y0ur chance to drive them, Virtually, in 007 Rac/ng Utilising all the automotive extras only Q can prowde, you must complete a SuccesSion of missions pitching you against gunships, tanks and all manner of evil henchmen, Unfortunately, pOOr handling, rough graphics and some deCidedly easy levels makes this as much fun as a slow dance With Oddiob. And the ’Racing' in the title is hugely deceptive as there is never any real racmg — a ploy to sell more discs perhaps? Imagine a Bond version of Medal Of Honour on wheels and y0u’ll know exactly what's in store.

Alex Ferguson's Player

Manager 2001 (3DO) £29.99 * wk * *

Despite the fact that the PlayStation suffers badly With memory intensive strategy games, publishers continue to release football management simulations. Slow, ba5ic and With in- match graphics that Jerk and wobble the game into farce, these games still sell by the truckload, relying on anal fans' unquenchable deSire for all facts footie-related. Alex Ferguson ’5 Player Manager 2007 brings nothing new to the genre but certainly cleans the experience up a bit. It is easy to use, smartly presented and packed With Just the right amount of info to persuade any y0ung hopeful that their input is truthfully represented on the results table. A chOice of matchday Views adequately relay how each game progresses and, depending on the score obViously, makes for some enjoyable VieWing. The statistics and team line-ups are a bit dodgy, particularly in the lower leagues, but once you have come to grips With your chosen team many fruitful hours await. (lain DaVidson)